Tiny Barbarian DX
Can you believe that I literally willed Tiny Barbarian DX into existence?
No seriously, I swear I was reading Robert E. Howard’s The Complete Chronicles of Conan when the game was first released in 2017. All it took was a couple of prayers to the old gods. I recall it all so clearly now - I pleaded to them for a new videogame based on the Conan the Barbarian licence, a co-op brawler with triple-A production values and gameplay in the vein of Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks.
Ok, so you’ve probably noticed from the screenshots by now that Tiny Barbarian DX isn’t exactly a triple-A game, and developer StarQuail Games may have actually had something to do with its release. All sillies aside though, isn’t it nice when someone out there in the great beyond shares that very same dream for a videogame you have, but then they actually make it? Bliss.
For those unfamiliar with the genre, Tiny Barbarian DX is a pixel-perfect action platformer, also fondly referred to by StarQuail Games as a ‘Sword-em-up’, and draws its gameplay inspiration from the likes of ye olde classics like Wonder Boy and Ninja Gaiden. You control the titular Tiny Barbarian and have a very clear goal which is to run, jump, swing, climb and fight your way through a series of challenging levels spread across four unique chapters. Combat is simple but feels great, with attacks ranging from various sword slashes, to an elbow drop from up high, to a super slick recovery manoeuvre, and my personal favourite, a ‘muscle flex’ which can parry enemy attacks and never, ever gets old. Boss fights are creative, eye-popping, multi-staged affairs and best of all, plentiful. There’s even a wicked, 1990s style game manual (god I miss those) which looks like it was ripped straight from one of my original Nintendo Entertainment System videogame boxes from the 1990s.
The platforming action itself truly is pixel perfect, and while accessible will push you to your limits. Beyond leaping between platforms, clinging for dear life to ledges and dodging projectiles, each level also mixes up the gameplay with a unique gimmick of sorts. In Chapter 2: The Ruins of Xanadu, for example, you’ll descend a mountain while avoiding bouncing boulders, pilot a gigantic bee through a maze of poisonous plants, and square off against groups of barrel-flinging grey apes. Is riding a sabretooth tiger more to your tastes? Why not start with Chapter 4: The Threat from Beyond to mount up and charge down some fire breathing soldiers while you’re at it.
While the challenging nature of pixel-perfect action platformers can put off some gamers, I can assure you that check points (an absolute must for these types of games) are frequent enough to keep you invested all the way through. Oh, and if you also have a gaming buddy nearby there’s also a couch co-op two player option, but by Crom let me just say that you better have the indomitable spirit of Conan himself to venture that option. For what it’s worth, players who do relish in a challenge and who persevere are rewarded with some excellent end game unlockables make your first, and subsequent, playthroughs absolutely worthwhile.
Beyond it’s game design what makes Tiny Barbarian DX standout, and truly be that dream game for me compared to so many other games, is just how perfectly it captures the essence of classic Sword and Sorcery media that inspires it, most notably Conan The Barbarian. The boot up sequence is a great example of this. Rather than simply being presented with a typical title screen the camera pans slowly upwards to reveal a scene where you are suddenly playing the game, standing alone as the Tiny Barbarian on a mountain surrounded by fire and foes, and only when defeated does the options menu present itself.
Each of the game’s chapters also has a clear reference to one or more of the numerous short stories Robert E. Howard wrote about Conan the Barbarian. It’s hard to pick a favourite, but mine has to be Chapter 3: The Sinister Tower. That chapter is absolutely dripping with inspiration from stories like Iron Shadows of the Moon and The Scarlet Citadel, with death-traps and otherworldly foes, all culminating in a satisfying final boss fight with sorcerer who transformers into a… well… if you’ve read The Hand of Nergal then you’ll know. Without spoiling anything, the final chapter even dips its toes into the 1981 film classic Heavy Metal. To a Sword and Sorcery fan like me, it’s all just so delicious.
Beyond the references to classic Sword and Sorcery media, The Tiny Barbarian DX is also littered with fanservice and easter eggs nodding to the games that inspired it. Remember those annoying, sack-carrying gnomes in the Golden Axe series that dropped health whenever you kicked them? They’re here. Did you rely on breaking random blocks in the original Castlevania, desperate to discover life replenishing roast chickens? Those are here too. Oh, and if you grew up with the classic 1980s Donkey Kong games then trust me, you’ll not be disappointed. For those of us who grew up on these and other action and platforming classics, Tiny Barbarian DX really is a feast for the nostalgic senses.
It’s a wonderful thing to be a gamer these days. We are spoilt for choice when it comes to the pixel-perfect action platformer genre of videogames, which has seen bangers like Celeste, The Messenger, Shovel Knight and many others see critical and commercial acclaim since they released. Tiny Barbarian DX didn’t reach the heights of those games in the world of mainstream gaming, but to the three (yes three!) people who created it, well, thank you for making my dream game come true.
--- Jon @ PGC